Wash-board



(No Model.)

T. SARGENT.

I WASH BOARD. I

No. 437,869. Patented-Oct. 7, 1890 IH, I: I I u w I ...J;,., $1 9 J t/7km;

' l ve UNiTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. SARGENT, OF CLEVELAND, onio.

WASH-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,869, dated October'7, 1890.

Application filed January 6, 1890- Serial No. 335,988. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. SARGENT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented or discovered a certain new and useful lmproveni ent inash-Boards, of whichimprovement the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements inwash'boards generally, but more especially to that class orkind known asdouble-faced wash-boards, and the invention has for its object aconstruction wherebyathorough drainage of the soapbox may be had.

In general terms, the invention consists in the construction, all asmore fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of awash-board embodying my invention,a portion of a wash-tub being also shown; and Fig. 2 is a transversesection, the plane of section being indicated by the line 00 :0, Fig. 1.

The wash-board is of the usual or any suitable construction, consistingof the side bars 1, cross-bars 2 at the upper and lower ends of therubbingfaces 3, brand-board 4, and cappiece 5. The brand-board has itsedges in engagement with grooves formed in the side bars, uppercrossbar, and head-piece, prefer ably midway of the width of said parts,thereby forming a soap-box on both sides of the board, as shown. Theseboards when in use are inclined, as shown in Fig. 1, and as ordinarilyconstructed any water splashed up into the soap-box or flowing off fromthe soap will be retained in the box, thereby softening and dissolvingthe soap.

Provision has been made for draining the soap-box by cutting an openingthrough the brand-board just above the cross-bar 2, so that when theboard is in the inclined position, as shown in Fig. 1, the water willflow through said opening. This construction is objectionable, however,for the reason that the water escaping from the soap-box will flow overthe edge of the cross-bar and thence down outside the chine ofunderstood by reference the tub, as will be readily to Fig. 1, therebywetting the clothes of the washwoman. In order to avoid thisobjectionable feature, I form a slot or series of holes 6 through thecross-bar or soap-supporting ledge 2 on each side of the board andapproximately parallel with the rubbing-faces thereof. holes 6 on oneside of the board are connected with the soap-box on the opposite sideby an opening 7 transverse of the brand-board. This opening or passage 7is preferably formed by cutting away the portion of the cross-bar 2 onthe upper side thereof and between the slots or holes 6. This opening orconnecting-passage 7 may be made of a uniform depth throughout itsentire length ,but it is preferred to gradually increase the depth fromthe ends'toward the middle.

It will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1 that any waterdraining from the soap and splashed into the soap-box will flow downinto the cut or opening 7 in the top of the cross-bar, and that while aportion of the water will pass through the slots or openings 6 on theupper side of the board a very much larger portion will flow under thebrandboard on account of the inclination of the wash-board, and escapethence through the slots or openings 6 on the under side of the board.By connecting the slots or openings 6 by means of a depression or cut inupper side of the cross-bar any water entering the soap-box will becollected in said out or depression, and, flowing to the opposite sideof brand-board,wi1lbe guided to the escape slots or openings, and cannottherefore flow over the edge of the cross-bar, as in the constructionhereinbefore referred to. It will be observed that the slots or openings6 are so formed that their lower or discharge ends are adjacent to therubbing-faces of the board and that the water escaping therefrom will beso directed as to flow down along said faces into the tub and not flowoutside thereof.

1 am aware that it is not new to make a drainage-notch in the rear edgeof the crossbar which is ordinarily arranged at the upper end of therubbing-surface,and I am also aware that in connection with a notch thusmade the brand-board, lying in aplane back of said notch,has beenextended downwardly sufficiently far to perform to a greater or less Theslots or extent the drainage function. My invention difiers from this,among other things, in the material respect that in instead of thedrainage-groove in the back edge of the cross-bar and a drainage-boardback of that I make one or more drainage holes, ports, or openingsdirectly through the body of the cross-bar in such manner that at theirupper open ends when in use the water of drainage flowing from thebrand-board will find ready access thereto, and so that at their lowerends they will discharge such water toward orin the direction of theinside of the tub. One advantage of such construction is thistl1at thebrand-board, instead of being arranged and employed as a drainage-boardto discharge the drainage-water after it leaves the crossbar into thetub, really discharges it,directly or indirectly, into the holes oropenings referred to, which are made in the body of the cross-bar, andfrom that. point the latter take care of it. Such holesoneor1noresomadethrough the body of the cross-bar,consitu ting, as they do, a materialand important feature of my invention, may be varied at pleasure innumber, size, arrangement, and direction, provided, only, that, as abovestated, they be suitably arranged so as to have the capacity when in useof receiving the drainage-water, directly or indirectly, from thebrand-board at their upper open ends and of guiding and discharging itat their lower ends toward or in the direction of the inside of the tub;but in the form or embodiment of my invention, herein particularlyshownby which I mean one wherein a recess 7 is made to receive thedrainage-water from the brand-board 4 and conduct it tothe lowerdrainage hole or holesit is a further feature of improvemet that thelower edge of the brand-board 4 shall extend a short distance into therecess 7, as shown in the drawings, so as to guard against any tendencywhich the water might otherwise have to flow back and out over the rearupper edge of the cross-bar and soil the garments of the operator ormake a sloppy floor.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In the construction of a wash-board,the cross-bar thereof provided witha hole or passage made in the bodythereof and in suitable position to receive at its upper open end whenin usethe drainage-water which flows down on the brand-board and toconduct and discharge the same at its lower open end into or in thedirection of the inside of the tub, substantially as set forth.

2. In a double-face wash-hoard having a brand-board at in orapproximately in a plane passing midway between its tworubbing-surfaces, and in combination with such brandboard a cross-bar 2,having therein a recess or passage 7, suitable for receiving the splashor drainage from either face of the brand-board, and provided withdrainage-holes in any desired number adapted to discharge within the tuband on either side of the wash-board proper, no matter which side is inuse, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

J AMES T. SARGENI.

Vitnesses:

P. G. KASSULKER, WV. S. HAMM.

